Washington, D.C. — The Center for American Progress and progressive groups representing a broad array of policy priorities have united to launch Hands Off, a coalition campaign dedicated to preventing the passage of any upcoming budget resolutions that include cuts to health care, disability benefits, nutrition assistance, or other basic living standards.
According to multiple reports, programs that protect seniors, kids, workers, and people with disabilities—along with environmental protections and investments in women’s health—are all under threat in the upcoming budgets. The campaign will mobilize key grassroots constituencies to urge members of Congress to keep their hands off people’s basic living standards.
“We’re launching Hands Off to show that progressives are united against any budget that slashes programs Americans need to afford the basics of everyday life,” said Rebecca Vallas, Managing Director for the Poverty to Prosperity Program at the Center for American Progress. “Through district-by-district analysis, a concerted storytelling campaign, grassroots advocacy, and social media engagement, we will ensure that members of Congress see how their constituents will be affected by President Donald Trump’s harmful proposals.”
Through the campaign’s website—Handsoff.org—people will be able to share their stories and access an activism toolkit to tell members of Congress what the budget would mean for them and their family. Hands Off will also host a series of events in Washington, D.C., and around the country to highlight what’s at stake in the budget negotiations.
The steering committee includes the Center for American Progress, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), The Arc of the United States, Center for Community Change, the Coalition on Human Needs, Indivisible, MoveOn.org, the National Council of La Raza, the National Women’s Law Center, NETWORK Advocates for Catholic Social Justice, Organizing for Action, PICO National Network, Planned Parenthood, Social Security Works, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and Stand Up America.
The campaign is launching with a video testimonial from Stephanie Land, a mother of two, who turned to the very programs that President Trump is threatening to cut. Following the release of the Trump budget on Tuesday, members of Congress will respond with a Capitol Hill press conference featuring speakers from the Center for American Progress, as well as several other members of the Hands Off steering committee.
For more information on this topic or to speak to an expert, please contact Morgan Finkelstein at [email protected] or 202.478.5311.